These eight-foot pink snails[2] will claim Miami on November 19th – not because they want to take over the Earth, but because they’re an installation by the Cracking Art Group[3] and Galleria Ca’ d’Oro. These giant snails will appear at key entrance points into Miami as well as the Art Deco Welcome Center over the course of six weeks, slated to make their first appearance at the Art Basel Miami Beach[4], then making their way west to bask under the Florida sun. Read on to discover more about these strange creatures and their origins.

[5]

The snails originated in Italy, where the Cracking Art Group (CAP) is infamous for creating a number of other giant animals and sculptures (CAP is known for sticking tortoises in the 2009 G-8 Environmental Summit in Siracusa, Italy). The group is committed to sustainability and expresses their fervor through creating sculptures from recycled plastic – one aspect that the city of Miami found particularly appealing. “Recycling is so much a part of the culture now that it’s easy to forget how important it is and that we can always do more. This fun art project will make people stop and wonder— and then stop and think,” says Miami Beach Mayor Matti Bower.

The installation’s official name is “The REgeneration Art project,” but it’s best characterized by the name of its website: pinksnails.com[2]. While in Florida, some of the snails will also be lit by solar-powered lights, but we anticipate all of them will stick out like alien orbs along the Miami expressways, provoking laughter, rolled eyes, and maybe a sense of amused foreboding.